


It’s “Partner”, Remember?

by AKUltiWarrior



Series: MTNN Drabbles and Short Stories [2]
Category: Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
Genre: And He Doesn’t Like It, Gen, Neuro feels left behind, Neuro-centric, Reunion, don’t worry tho, gang as family?, idk - Freeform, if you ask Neuro he’d probably say no and then kill you, post-manga, the gang’s got his back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-04-23 00:04:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19139554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKUltiWarrior/pseuds/AKUltiWarrior
Summary: Neuro returns to the Demon Detective Agency after three years of absence- and it seems there have been plenty of things that’s changed.For one, his slaves have grown much more competent compared to when they first started out. They’ve all grown much closer as well.But amongst all of these changes, only one thing has stayed the same since he left.





	1. The Reunion

Neuro stands at the waiting area for relatives and friends (he couldn’t find one that was labeled “Master”- those were all over the airports in Hell!), trademark grin frozen in place.

 

He quite enjoyed his reunion with Yako, especially with how bewildered and panicked she looked. Really, it was as if she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing before her very eyes!

 

Although, considering the lone cell residing in her brain, he supposed it wouldn’t be much of a stretch.

 

He saw the louse enter from the corner of his eye, his razor-sharp smile widening a by a fraction. She settled her sights on him, an eyebrow raised in question.

 

“Why, louse! Has your only brain cell deteriorated so much so that you’ve forgotten your master?” he dramatically waved a hand in front of her.

 

Yako’s expression shifted somewhat to resignation. “It really is you, Neuro,” she laughed quietly. Said demon quirked his own eyebrow in response to that.

 

“I see you’ve been overwhelmed by my incredible generosity to allow you slaves to bask in my presence once more,” he declared.

 

The louse’s lips pulled into a smile. “Well then don’t keep the rest of your servants waiting,” she snarked, tugging him closer to her.

 

And when she found her neck twisted and her head in the grasp of Neuro’s claws, she didn’t bother doing anything other than groan. Neuro was practically beaming.

 

“Indeed! They should be glad to see me, lest they want their eyes plucked out and fed to the fishes.”

 

* * *

 

 

The taxi trip back to the office was spent in relative silence.

 

Yako grinds her head against the window when the radio switches to a report about her most recent ventures over in the West. Neuro’s expression has settled into blank eyes staring at nothing, mouth twisted in an innocent smile.

 

He, of course, is enjoying her silent suffering. And in his head, he’d already envisioned many other ways to make her suffer not-so-silently.

 

When they finally stop in front of the familiar building, Neuro drags the girl out before she can so much as squeak. He lifts her by her collar, dropping her unceremoniously before she can choke.

 

Yako glares at him before picking herself up and dusting off her skirt. She isn’t fazed in the least when she’s greeted by the demon’s cheshire smile.

 

She rolls her eyes, quickly stepping out of his reach. Neuro chuckles, knowing full well that she knows that wouldn’t stop him from tormenting her.

 

Nonetheless, he lets her lead him through the building. Once the office door is in sight, he hears her mumble, “Crap, I forgot to tell Godai-san...” Needless to say, it only makes him more excited to impose once more on the lives of his slaves.

 

The louse sighs and calls out as she opens the door, “I’m back! Akane, Godai- phwa?!”

 

She’s interrupted by Neuro’s palm colliding with her cheek, almost making her bite off her tongue. “Rejoice, for your master has returned!” he proudly announces.

 

He was pretty sure Yako was making faces at him from behind his back, but he didn’t bother with disciplining her. Yet.

 

Yako, as if sensing this, felt a chill crawl down her spine. She schools her expression into a neutral one.

 

Godai, who was lounging lazily on the couch, stares at the fully recovered Neuro with eyes that look like they could pop out of his sockets. “Holy shit,” he hisses, scrambling to his feet.

 

He whips out his knife, pointing it directly at the demon. He probably hadn’t noticed he’d done it, Neuro notes with amusement.

 

“What the fuck, Yako? You didn’t tell me this bastard was back in town,” he exclaims. Yako shrugs noncommittally as she sets down her bags. Neuro strides toward Godai, holding the blade of the Yakuza’s knife between his thumb and index finger.

 

His eyes glint evilly and his grin widens. “It can’t be that you’re pointing that knife at me, can it, slave number two?” he asks. Godai was incredibly jaded by Neuro’s innocent tone of voice and absolutely sinister expression.

 

He clicks his tongue and lowers his knife as soon as Neuro releases it.

 

“Whatever. Welcome back, you monster,” he grumbles, falling back to the couch. Neuro tilts his head. He presses his finger against his lips, furrowing his eyebrows and putting on the purest expression he could make.

 

“Not going to call me Master?”

 

Godai glares at him. “Hah? Why the hell would I do that?”

 

“No?”

 

Slave number two gulps, eyeing him warily. “Damnit...” he growls. Neuro’s eyes burn right through his soul. Godai makes a frustrated sound, but maintains eye contact with him.

 

“Like fuck I’m gonna say something like that!”

 

Neuro’s face twists in disdain. He sighs in disappointment. “All this time and you’ve only managed to be on the level of a cockroach,” he says.

 

A vein pops up somewhere in Godai’s forehead. Yako rushes to his side, raising her hands in a way Neuro supposed were to placate him.

 

“He means well,” she reassures the man. Neuro finds some amusement at the thought of a slug comforting a cockroach.

 

He walks past Yako, making sure to give her a little shove. The female detective falls onto Godai’s lap with a barely surprised huff. Neuro claps his hands together in delight at the sight of “Troy”, his impeccably polished desk.

 

He stares out the expansive window behind Troy. He turns around and faces his slaves. Yako’s managed to untangle herself from Godai and settle down on the other end of the couch.

 

Akane pokes out from underneath the louse’s hair. She waved happily at Neuro. The demon’s grin manages to grow wider. “I see you’ve managed to stay alive, secretary,” he quips.

 

The hair proudly bobs up and down. With that, Neuro leans against his desk and addresses everyone in the office.

 

“Now, we’re finally back in business!”

 

“We’ve been in business ever since you left. We never once closed the agency.”

 

“You dare defy me, slave? This place will never truly be in business when I’m not here.”

 

“Fuckin’ arrogant...”

 

“Did you say something, slave number two?”

 

Yako sighs and shakes her head. When she looks up at the demon though, a smile had already stretched across her face. “Ahh, regardless, it’s good to have you back, Neuro,” she says.

 

The puzzle-eater nods with a pleased expression.

 

“Of course. Why shouldn’t it be?”


	2. Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neuro sees how much has changed in three short years and is once again reminded of how different humans are compared to demons.
> 
> It seems he’s missed more than he thought.
> 
> He doesn’t know what to think about it, and especially not what he should feel, if anything at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy I’m back with a new chapter. This one’s a long boi. (For me, at least)

 The rest of that morning was spent looking over case files. At least, it was for the louse. Neuro had more important things to attend to, such as familiarizing himself with the newest additions to the office.

 

A section of the wall to Troy’s left was decorated with medals and certificates. Trophies and plaques sat atop one of the desks.

 

Aside from those, he didn’t see anything different aside from some replaced furniture here and there. He spared a glance at Yako, chest puffing with pride. It seems the louse had kept her promise after all.

 

He stalked over to her, peeking over her shoulder at the case she was reviewing. “And how did you solve that one, louse?”

 

Yako smiled lightly. “He was acting innocent, sure, but he had the most believable motive. Also, he was one of the few people with access to the murder weapon.”

 

Neuro hummed, signaling for her to continue.

 

“Plus, while his alibi sounded solid at first, it started to get shaky when I realized his uniform could’ve been used as a way to hide his face.

 

“Another employee was working the same shift as him. He wasn’t there the next morning when the body was discovered, since he caught a fever overnight. I guess the culprit figured he could use that to his advantage, the other guy not being there to testify against him.

 

“Also, he has access to the security cameras. He could’ve easily found the footage with the other employee around the same time as the murder. And since he has access to the cameras, he could easily find a blind spot to commit the crime.

 

“All in all, it was a pretty intense way to learn the lesson to never abuse your employees, unless you want them murdering you in your own building,” she drawled, giving Neuro a pointed look.

 

The demon smiled cluelessly, but his words told her all she needed to know. “Are you implying something, louse? I’ve never abused you, have I?” he asked.

 

Although purely rhetorical, the stupid slave felt the need to answer it anyway.

 

“Torment, is more like it. Or maybe torture?”

 

Neuro pinned her with his stare, promising to rain hellfire on her should she say any more. Yako’s smile remained, but her lips were sealed.

 

Neuro shrugged, hand reaching out to ruffle the girl’s hair. He may or may not have pressed his fingers into her scalp a little harder than necessary.

 

Yako grunted, ducking out of his offending hand. Neuro grinned at her, letting his arm fall against his side. “I must say, you’ve evolved a fine amount since I’ve left,” he complimented.

 

Despite being annoyed by what he did to her hair, she couldn’t help but grin back. Compliments given by Neuro were something to be cherished. “I missed you, Neuro,” she said. The puzzle-eater chuckled and stepped away.

 

“You humans and your emotions. Why miss someone who’s going to come right back?”

 

The louse rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Yes, us humans and our emotions,” she echoed. Neuro turned his back to her, looking down at the city from the window. “Keep it up, and you might just get promoted past top slug,” he said.

 

Yako laughed.

 

* * *

 

 

Just before afternoon settled in, Godai made his entrance while carrying box after box of bento. “Damnit, Yako, why’d you gotta eat so damn much?” he growled.

 

From the way slave number two spoke, Neuro could easily tell the insect had completely given up on finding an actual answer to that question.

 

He entertained himself with thoughts on how stupid humans sounded when they asked questions they knew they’d never get the answer to.

 

When he focused back on his two slaves, he noticed that they’d fallen into animated chatter. Neuro shifted his attention on Akane as she scribbled something down on her whiteboard.

 

It’s nice to see you again, Neuro.

 

The demon flashed her a grin. “It’s nice to see as well, Akane. Say, how have my slaves been behaving in my absence?” he asked.

 

Akane perked up. She looked excited to tell him what they’d been up to, and Neuro wondered why someone would look forward to recounting past events with another person.

 

_Miss Detective’s made a lot of new friends while you were away._

 

Neuro raised an eyebrow at that.

 

_She’s very close with the officers that patrol this area and Godai’s been busy expanding our information network in the underworld._

 

Neuro nodded with mild interest. Of course, that was to be expected. One couldn’t evolve without taking the initiative.

 

Still, he turned back to the two humans conversing on the couch.

 

He noticed they’d started interacting more, even to the point of ignoring his presence almost completely. He scanned the top of his desk and to his delight, found some pretty decent throwing material.

 

He first grabbed the tape dispenser. He inspected the object for a moment before chucking it straight at Yako’s head. The girl ducked below it just as it was about to collide with her skull.

 

She continued chatting away to Godai, whose eyes darted between her and Neuro in surprise. Yako however, didn’t seem to notice.

 

Neuro furrowed his eyebrows. He took the stapler next, not hesitating to throw it at Yako’s back. Once again, the louse maneuvered smoothly to the side, completely dodging the object.

 

Godai stopped Yako in the middle of her speech, pointing towards Neuro just as the bird demon threw a pencil at her.

 

The detective spun her body out of the way of the pencil that no doubt would’ve grazed her cheek had she stayed still. She frowned, looking at Neuro.

 

“Huh.”

 

“Gotten used to having things thrown at you, have you, slug?” he questioned. Yako shrugged. “Lots of criminals have tried to nail me in the head,” she explained.

 

Neuro tilted his head. “I’m surprised you haven’t got any brain damage,” he said. Yako smiled- right as an eraser smacked her on the forehead. “Hey!” she exclaimed, sending a glare at Neuro’s direction.

 

The demon basked in her irritation, which was sadly short-lived. The louse sighed and picked up the fallen items. Neuro pouted in disappointment, commenting offhandedly, “You’ve grown complacent.”

 

Slave number two barked out a laugh. “Of course she’s the only one who can be complacent around you, ya damned freak.”

 

Neuro smoothed his features into a calm mask. “Would you like to say that again, cockroach?” he asked, aforementioned mask slipping to reveal a toothy grin. Godai glared warily at him.

 

“Stupid... fuckin’ monster... damnit,” he mumbled under his breath.

 

Neuro trained his eyes on the man, thinking up ways to torment him in the upcoming days. Godai didn’t stick around for much longer after that, leaving the room after waving goodbye to Yako and Akane.

 

He pointedly ignored Neuro. Ah well, the demon supposed he could take on “some” extra punishment.

 

His smile fell from his face and he looked towards slave number one. “When did he find out about Akane?” he inquired, not missing how Yako looked at him through narrowed eyes.

 

Really, was everyone that desperate for a punishment? Not that he wouldn’t be messing with their lives either way.

 

Yako pursed her lips, supposedly recalling the events from three years ago.

 

“It was right after you’d left. He walked into the office the next day and found Akane writing on the whiteboard.”

 

Akane chimed in, her market squeaking against said whiteboard’s surface.

 

_He was pretty freaked out, but Miss Detective got here in time before he could set me on fire. We’ve gotten closer ever since._

 

Neuro hummed in consideration. “Pretty boring for a first meeting,” he concluded. Already, he’d come up with hundreds of different ways he could’ve spiced it up.

 

Yako’s shocked and enraged yell pulled him from his fantasies. His head swiveled towards her, mouth automatically breaking into a wide grin.

 

Just as he expected, Yako was trying to shake off her bento, black tendrils slithering from beneath the cover and wrapping around her arm.

 

When she caught sight of Neuro’s apparent glee, she furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. It only made the demon smile wider.

 

The louse scrambled to open the other bentos, the first one still attached to her arm. To her utter horror, half of them had been converted to whatever food-terrors there were from Hell.

 

She screamed at Neuro, eyes blazing with fury, “Not my food, Neuro! Damnit, it was all so expensive-! Wait, don’t breath fireaaaAAAHH!”

 

The demon observed her panic with satisfaction. “Not so complacent now, eh, louse?” he cackled lowly. When in doubt, he could always use the food.

 

* * *

 

 

The puzzle-eater spent the day watching slave number one interact with other insects. He was surprised at the amount of people she’d managed to attract to their Detective Agency.

 

He sat on his seat behind Troy, observing her and the others with a blank smile.

 

Once their latest client exited the office, Neuro attached himself to the ceiling and grabbed Yako’s head. “It’s impressive how many mysteries you’ve gathered in one day, dishrag.

 

“I can feel decent potential in some of them. Tomorrow shall be my welcoming feast- and you’ll be serving me for the whole day.”

 

Yako nibbled on one of her snacks. “You know, I could at least get a reward for letting you drag me around all day. You’ve never even taken me out on a meal before,” she accused.

 

Neuro’s eyes flashed. “Honestly, pig, your eating habits are beyond even my superior imagination,” he said. Then, as if considering her suggestion, he held his chin in his gloved hand.

 

“...But I am a benevolent master! I shall reward you appropriately for your loyal servitude,” he declared.

 

The louse looked like she was holding back a hopeful expression.

 

“Tell me, what do you want?” Neuro asked, presenting four pictures of what looked to be berries. “Firethorn? Fox head? Some Holly? Or perhaps Mezereum?”

 

Yako regarded him with uncertainty. “...They’re either inedible or poisonous, aren’t they?” she sighed.

 

Of course, Neuro knew that in order to keep a slave loyal, one must keep them satisfied under their rule. So while he’s not going to bring her out for lunch or whatever (Hell knows how much food the pig’s managed to stuff in her stomach in one day), but he is going to treat her to something more... practical.

 

He suppressed a laugh at how she glared at him with suspicion. He wouldn’t tell her what he’s got planned, and she won’t figure it out anyway with how empty her brain is.

 

He finally released her head from his grip, letting her savor that one second of relief before dropping down on her.

 

The dishrag groaned as she collapsed on the floor. Still, she wore a strange little smile on her face. “Get off of me, Neuro,” she said. The demon complied, stepping away with a flourish. Yako grunted and picked herself up.

 

Neuro made a show of fixing his suit, sharp grin ever-present on his lips.

 

“Tomorrow, the feast starts.”

 

* * *

 

 

The next day was spent dragging Yako around to solve the numerous cases that had piled up on her desk.

 

Neuro brushed himself off, satisfaction gracing his features. “Come, slave, on to our next case.” Yako, who jogged to his side, informed him, “We’ll need to visit Aya-san. They say she knew our culprit before he busted out of jail.”

 

Neuro strode forward, the louse trying to match his pace. The puzzle eater had on a thoughtful look at the reminder of one of his earliest cases in the human world.

 

“You’re still speaking to her?” he asked. Yako nodded. “She’s helped me a lot in the three years you’ve been away,” she told him. Her shoulders sagged tiredly and her neck aches from constantly being grabbed or smacked by the head.

 

Neuro’s smile grew sharper. “Then I’ll have to thank her on your behalf, won’t I?” he offhandedly said. Yako quirked an eyebrow at him.

 

“Really?”

 

His grin told her all she needed to know.

 

* * *

 

 

The prison wasn’t a very familiar place to Neuro, seeing as he had no need to talk to the former singer as much as Yako seemed to have.

 

 _Except for that time_ , he thought. He didn’t dwell on it. After all, the past was the past. They stepped past the large prison gates, the guard saluting to Yako with a large smile.

 

Neuro stared disinterestedly at the dull building while keeping his trademark blank-smiling-face.

 

Everyone greeted Yako like an old friend. They looked at Neuro oddly, but acknowledged him with either a “hello”, a nod, or a wave of the hand.

 

He thought about the police officers who’d helped them with their earlier cases that day and how they’d stopped treating Yako like a threat to their jobs.

 

Even Godai, whose respect for the girl was noticeably higher than before. He even expanded his information circle to an incredible degree. The company he worked in flourished more than ever with his contributions.

 

He spared a glance at Akane, who framed the side of the detective’s face. Even she was being brought along to the crime scenes now.

 

In Hell, a year or two- a decade, even -would not warrant much change. Either in the environment or in the demon’s themselves, not a lot happened between the years. It seemed something “exciting” would pop up every century or so, but Neuro digressed.

 

In Earth, though the humans’ lifespans were merely as long as a blink of the eye to him, so much could happen in just a year. Neuro pondered this.

 

Demons couldn’t evolve themselves, what with their mindset of “the strong devour the weak, and the weak suffer before the strong”. Most demons ran with their instincts, and rarely were there any demons who could produce unique and delectable mysteries.

 

Demons all fought for the same reasons. To survive and to cause as much pain to others as possible.

 

The mysteries in Hell were, for the most part, bland and repetitive.

 

Humans, on the other hand- they try so hard to grow stronger. No matter their origin, they climb and climb, pulling down others so they can push themselves up.

 

Others believed in rising up together, in fighting for equality and whatnot. All of them had a different motive, a different reason for doing things.

 

They were irrational, ruled by their hearts rather than their minds. They abandoned their instincts in favor of “morals”, “justice”, and “order”.

 

Humans were diverse, which meant that their mysteries were diverse. Sure, they could be unfulfilling, but no two mysteries tasted the same.

 

That was why he chose to return to Earth, after all.

 

Yako’s relaxed steps mixed with the sound of his own. She’d always been more laid-back than the average person, going along with the flow even when it looked like she had no idea what was going on.

 

But he could also sense her confidence, and he wonders to himself when that had grown so much. She kept her promise in the end and shined brighter than he ever expected.

 

It seems he’s missed a little more than he thought.

 

And for some godforsaken reason, it didn’t exactly sit well with him. The corner of his mouth twitched, grin threatening to fall into a frown. He pushed back the uncomfortable feeling and locked it somewhere in the back of his expansive mind.

 

The guard leading them through the building signaled for them to stop. They stood in front of a steel door. “We’re here,” she announced.

 

She took out her keys and the lock twisted with a click. She opened the door.

 

Neuro stepped in.


End file.
